Carol is the Executive Director of Healthy Families Florida and is retiring after years of advocacy. Healthy Families Florida is a nationally accredited home visiting program for expectant parents and parents of newborns experiencing stressful life situations. The program improves childhood outcomes and increases family self-sufficiency by empowering parents through education and community support. Parents […]

The father appealed the trial court’s dependency adjudication of his daughter. She was born prematurely and had significant health problems, which required intensive medical involvement. The Department of Children and Families (department) based their dependency petition on the parent’s neglect of the child’s extensive medical needs and her failure to thrive. The parent had failed […]

After a child’s parental rights were terminated, the foster parents moved to intervene in the dependency proceeding in order to adopt the child. The child’s aunt and uncle also filed motions to adopt the child and moved the trial court to consolidate the actions. The foster parents opposed the consolidation because they did not received […]

The Department of Children and Families (department) appealed the trial court’s order reunifying the mother and her children based on unsworn statements made by the mother and the caseworker. The department argued that there was “no prior notice that reunification would be addressed, [the department] was not afforded an opportunity to present witnesses or otherwise […]

The biological mother moved for relief from the final judgment of adoption, whereby her same-sex partner adopted her child. The trial court vacated the final judgment of adoption holding the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction and the final adoption where the biological mother’s same-sex partner (partner) adoption of the biological mother’s child was void. The […]

The mother appealed the trial court’s order denying her motion for reunification and placing her child with the father. The mother argued the trial court erred in denying reunification because she was in substantial compliance with her case plan and the trial court did not make any findings that the child’s safety and well-being would […]

The mother appealed the trial court’s order terminating her parental rights (TPR). She argued that it was a violation of due process to allow the same judge who ordered the Department of Children and Families (department) to file the TPR petition to preside over the TPR trial and then grant that TPR. The Fourth District […]

R.L.R, a dependent young adult, filed a petition for writ of mandamus to compel the trial court to reverse its order directing his attorneys ad litem to disclose juvenile whereabouts after he had run away. R.L.R. had been appointed two attorneys ad litem to represent him. The attorneys representing him refused to disclose his whereabouts […]

The father appealed the trial court’s order terminating the mother’s parental rights. The father argued, “he was denied due process when the trial court refused to appoint counsel for him at the mother’s termination of parental rights proceedings and as a result, he was also denied his right to be heard at her trial.” The […]

The mother sought a writ of certiorari quashing a “Partial Order on Foster Parents’ Motion to Intervene” entered by the trial court. The foster parents’ motion alleged that they had “direct and immediate interests” in the dependency cases relating to the mother’s children in their care and that they had a right to intervene and […]

The father appealed the trial court’s order terminating protective supervision and placing his two children in permanent guardianship. At the time of the latest judicial review, neither the father nor the mother had achieved their case plan goals. The children had been living in non-relative foster care for about 18 months. The day before the […]

The Second District Court of Appeal (Second DCA) reversed the trial court’s order placing the father’s three children in permanent guardianship. Although the trial court’s decision to place the children in a permanent guardianship was supported by competent, substantial evidence, the trial court’s order failed to contain or reference the findings required by § 39.6221(2)(a),Fla. […]

The father appealed the trial court’s order adjudicating his children dependent based upon an unsecured gun being found in the home. The Second District Court of Appeal (Second DCA) reversed the dependency adjudication holding the “application of § 39.01(15)(f) requires “the necessity of a continuing risk-not just a risk that existed sometime in the […]

The father and mother petitioned for a writ of certiorari to quash the trial court’s disposition order that accepted the case plan requiring each parent to submit to a psychiatric evaluation and a substance abuse evaluation. The Second District Court of Appeal (Second DCA) agreed with the parents and quashed the part of the order […]

The father (a non-offending parent living in Tennessee), appealed the trial court’s order setting permanent guardianship and placement of father’s children with their maternal grandparents and denying father’s motion for reunification. When the Department of Children and Families (department) moved to terminate services and request the children be placed permanently with the grandparents, the department […]

The father of three daughters and their half-brother, appealed the trial court’s termination of his parental rights. The Department of Children and Families’ (the department) petition was based on the argument that the “incarcerated father’s continued relationship with his children would be harmful to them within meaning of termination of parental rights statute. § 39.806(1)(d), […]

The mother appeals the final order entered by the trial court denying her motion to re-open her children’s dependency case in order to modify the trial court’s previously entered order placing children in permanent guardianship with their paternal grandparents. The Fifth District Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s order because, contrary to the mother’s […]

The Department of Children and Families appealed denial of its petition for termination of parental rights. The Fifth District Court of Appeal (Fifth DCA) affirmed the trial court’s decision but issued its opinion without prejudice, specifically granting the Department permission to refile for termination of parental rights if Father is sentenced to a significant prison […]

Father appealed the trial court’s decision finding his son dependent. Although the Fifth District Court of Appeal (Fifth DCA) affirmed most of the dependency order, the Fifth DCA reversed the portion of the decision that prohibited all contact between Father and son until Father’s release from incarceration. All contact, including telephonic, was prohibited by the […]

The Fifth District Court of Appeal (Fifth DCA) withdrew its previous opinion dated May 9, 2014 following review of a motion for rehearing by the adoption intermediary for the prospective adoptive parents (foster parents). The prospective adoptive parents appealed the trial court’s order striking Mother’s adoption consent. The Fifth DCA reversed the decision, finding insufficient […]

Mother appealed the order of disposition adjudicating her children dependent and relinquishing the court’s jurisdiction. The Fifth District Court of Appeal agreed with Mother and found that the trial court committed reversible error in failing to hold a disposition hearing. The matter was remanded for a disposition hearing pursuant to Fla. Statute § 39.521. Read […]

The Department of Children and Families appealed the trial court’s order denying its second shelter petition regarding E.R., a three week old infant, asserting the trial court applied an incorrect standard in issuing a finding of no probable cause. Removal of a child and placement in shelter care requires a finding of probable cause to […]

Father appealed an order adjudicating his children dependent based on a finding of abuse pursuant to § 39.01(2), Florida Statutes. The Department Children and Family Services (Department) alleged abuse of Father’s two-year-old child based on “two purple-green, non-patterned bruises” and a “purple loop mark” on the child’s thigh. Testimony at the dependency adjudication hearing was […]

The Guardian ad Litem Program(GAL) appealed the trial court’s order modifying the child’s placement. The GAL argued the trial court failed to consider whether the change of placement was in the child’s best interest. The Second District Court of Appeal (Second DCA) agreed with the GAL. Although the trial court modified the child’s placement, nothing […]

Father appealed termination of his parental rights following Mother’s private petition for termination. Mother’s underlying petition cited Fla. Statute § 39.806(1)(d)(1), which allows for termination when the parent is expected to be incarcerated for a significant portion of the child’s minority. The trial court did not permit Father to present evidence regarding the nature of […]

Father appealed termination of his parental rights. The child had been sexually abused by her brother during a time period when Father was not residing in the home. The brother was removed from the home but returned by an agent of the Department of Children and Families (Department) approximately two years later. The child alleged […]

The trial court found the children to be dependent based on the consent of Father. No evidentiary hearing was held and no written findings were issued. Mother had requested an evidentiary hearing within the statutory requirements but the trial court based the dependency solely on the father’s consent to dependency. The First District Court of […]

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Many of you have heard the term, Trauma Informed Care. We are know asking the child "What happened to you?" not "What is wrong with you?" Check out this interview from 60 Minutes with Tim Grove, Clinical Director of SaintA; Dr. Bruce Perry, Psychiatrist and Ph.D in neuroscience; and Belinda Pittman-McGee, Director of Nia Imani Family Center. Relationships matter, having that one constant adult can make all of the difference in a child's life. ... See MoreSee Less

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Many of you have heard the term, Trauma Informed Care. We are know asking the child "What happened to you?" not "What is wrong with you?" Check out this interview from 60 Minutes with Tim Grove, Clinical Director of SaintA; Dr. Bruce Perry, Psychiatrist and Ph.D in neuroscience; and Belinda Pittman-McGee, Director of Nia Imani Family Center. Relationships matter, having that one constant adult can make all of the difference in a child's life. ... See MoreSee Less